


She Shoulda Seen This Coming

by xbedhead



Category: Longmire (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, UST, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2013-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 04:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xbedhead/pseuds/xbedhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Walt Longmire was a taken man. She shoulda seen this coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Shoulda Seen This Coming

**Author's Note:**

> My first _Longmire_ fic, so be gentle. I love this series and am interested in the Walt/Lizzy relationship, though it doesn't seem like it'll be going anywhere anytime soon. This is unbeta'd, too! Would love to hear what you think of it.

She shoulda seen this coming.

He seemed interested enough, would smile, even show a little teeth when she landed a good punch line. She had felt his eyes travel the length of her body on more than one occasion - no heat, but a steady warmth. He never spoke much, but listened to her with intent, really followed her words instead of nodding and saying 'mm-hmm' like most men, boredom racing behind their eyes as they strained to keep them away from her chest.

But when she saw that bag on his shelf - the one she'd tied and untied, trying to get the string just right - she knew.

Walt Longmire was a taken man.

Cady's reaction to her the day before should've been enough, but she hadn't listened to her gut, had pushed forward with a sunny optimism that maybe one day they'd even be friends, get coffee with one another and talk about art. She seemed...cultured from what Walt had mentioned, like she might appreciate a conversation about a play they'd both seen in Denver a few years ago.

Her cheeks burned and the tips of her ears felt hot as she remembered the way he'd reacted to her 'distress' call the other night. He'd been genuinely surprised and she'd felt proud that she had learned to read that in eyes that typically gave nothing away. She'd kissed him and he hadn't kissed back, but she'd attributed that to the muted shock - _lust maybe?_ \- that he was going through. She was an attractive woman, she knew that. She didn't flaunt it, but kept herself tasteful and knew how to lure a man in.

Trouble was, she hadn't wanted to keep them for very long. She needed someone interesting, someone who was interested in _her_ for a little more than her looks and her money. Walt had seemed that way and she'd liked the mystery about him, maybe even fancied herself as someone who could take away just a _little_ of that pain he carried around, so heavy on his shoulders he almost stooped at times.

But she hadn't been.

She'd also seen panic in his eyes when she confronted him in his office. They weren't even broaching anything so serious as commitment, but it was already too much for him.

That picture beside Cady's - the one she'd known not to touch - held a recent one of his passed wife. _Martha_ , he'd told her, his voice rough yet soft, like he shouldn't have spoken it aloud. She wasn't a beautiful woman, but wasn't unattractive - _she could be objective about these things_ \- but her eyes pulled you in, they held you there and let you soak in their light, just for a moment. She was a happy person, giving - you could tell just from the photo.

And that light had been taken away too soon. Like a cast from a bone not yet set, Walt had healed in a warped way, bending though not breaking when the weight was on him, but aching just the same.

She didn't think she could heal that hurt, but she had wanted to try - she liked that smile, the one with the teeth. Maybe he wasn't ready to let go of that hurt, maybe he never wanted to. Some people grew comfortable in the depths of their misery and Walt was stubborn enough to stew in it, even when everyone around was trying to help him - that much she knew for sure. Henry had told her about his disappearing acts over the last year or so, how he'd checked out after Martha had passed, that she shouldn't be worried if he kept to himself sometimes. Walt had always been like that. And Henry would know - he'd been friends with Walt longer than anyone.

But Henry was a romantic, deep down inside. You could see it in the warmth of his black eyes. 

Friends with the best intentions sometimes had to be taken with a grain of salt.

She shoulda known better.


End file.
